Toshiba REGZA 47ZV650U 47 Inch 1080p LCD HDTV with ClearScan 240 Black
47″ screen (measured diagonally) * widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio * Deep Lagoon high-gloss black finish * built-in digital (ATSC) and analog (NTSC) tuners for over-the-air TV broadcasts (antenna required) * built-in QAM cable TV tuner receives unscrambled programs without a set-top box (cable service required) * CineSpeed LCD panel (1920 x 1080 pixels) *
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Quick’n Dirty
I saw this TV at a local dealer. It was setup right next to Sony’s XBR6 46″ TV. By comparison the picture quality is very similar. If you disagree with this, you live in a fantasy dreamland where spending more money will magically make your TV watching experience better (at the expense of your new found inability to sleep at night). Sony is the crowned king of HDTV, specifically in their ability to upscale smaller signals (480i, standard definition). While I found the picture quality to be arguably the same as the Sony, the price was not. This TV costs about $400 less than a 46″ XBR6.
So, I bought this and took the chance on a TV that has relatively little information on the net about it (i.e. reviews from CNET etc). I bought it primarily for internet video streaming and playing a standard signal (480i) – with the hopes of one day upgrading to full 1080p in the future. The related feature in this TV is Toshiba’s “Resolution +”. It looks way better than standard def that I’ve seen on other TVs. Period.
Another concern I had was the 240hz effect that is NOT true 240 frames per second. There is 120hz with a back-light flicker effect that is supposed to help eliminate motion blur. The salesman did not offer a demonstration of this feature before I purchased the TV. So, I created my own: Using a computer as input through a component cable, I set up a windows screen saver – scrolling text. You can toggle this 240 clearview on and off to see the difference. I am happy to report that there is in fact less motion blur with the feature enabled. If you pay $250-$300 extra for a feature you had better be getting your moneys worth. I think having at least 120hz is right for the price. I cannot say whether the additional 240 clearview that this tv performs is anything to really shout about.
Beyond that, the quick’n dirty is that the picture quality is top notch for this generation (especially with a standard def signal). There are a number of features which make this TV a good buy. I consider those to be icing on the cake really. In summary:
PROS:
Top notch picture quality for the 2008 generation of LCDs
Top notch upscaling of standard def signals.
Plenty of connectivity and many fun features like the USB and SD card.
– NOTE: this TV will play DIVX movies (yah you pirates know what i’m talking about) straight from the USB input.
Very easy to use setup and menu.
Price is much lower than the name-brand alternatives.
CONS:
Glossy Screen
Thick Bezel trim
Bezel has this kinda ugly white pattern on it – who ever decided to add this needs to quit their job… ya you know who you are.
5 Stars Great picture and color
I went to best buy to actually compare the latest generation Panasonic and Samsung Plasmas. I saw this TV and it really stood out as by far the best LCD color and picture. It is a crapshoot in the stores with funky lighting, inconsistent video sources, and callibration but this is what I saw. Much better than the Samsung LCD and LED tvs and the Sonys. In fact, it was better than the Samsung plasmas. The only thing that matched it was the Panasonic two top plasmas – the U series was about even and the G series plasmas had the best picture in the store, with the possible exception of the Pioneer Kuros, but it was just slightly better than this TV and the Panansonic has a cheap plastic looking frame design. I came home and had to look up the Toshiba, as I had never seen it mentioned in the reviews of ConsumerReports, CNET and HDGURU, my typical “advice” sources online. Off angle viewing seemed very good as well. There was no sound on, so no idea on that and I couldn’t tell on the glare – not as good as the Panasonic G series, but at least equal to everything else I saw.
4 Stars Good TV for the price
Got my TV from Amazon today. The carrier (CEVA) is not too friendly compared to BestBuy guys. Since I paid Amazon some hundred bucks less and no shipping fee, that might be understandable.
If you dig previous reviews, people complained about thick frames, and it’s very true. These frames are thick and sturdy! The carrier accidentally swing the TV and one corner of TV hits the wall. Well, there left a hole in the drywall but the TV is not even scratched.
The screen glares a lot because I have two big (6′x8′) windows and plenty of sunlight in the room. I’ll need to use the blinds in order to watch TV in the day. The sound performance is, well, it produces sounds. It’s time to shop receivers and speakers for home theater experiences.
This TV has an USB port that plays DivX, XVid, MPEG-2 through USB port (unfortunately no HD contents). Yes the TV is capable of doing 1080p if you have an external source. Internal media player does not support HD video/audio codec of any kind.
I’ve connected a Windows 7 PC to this TV via HDMI, and, wow, my eyes are really open 
The display is sharp and clear, and audio is also passing through without any problem. The performance of display is very good. Compared to my friend’s Sony and Samsung, my personal feel is that this TV is as crispy, if not better, as its competitors.
What I dislike about this TV must be its user interface (on screen menu and remote control), which is light years away from Sony. It’s not only confusing but also slow in response. The user manual is also written poorly. I’m glad I’m geeky enough to figure things out myself.
In short, this TV is pretty good albeit it has some rough edges. If you know how to configure things, it’s a pretty decent bang-of-buck choice of building a modern home theater.
5 Stars Excellect TV and value
I’m a little puzzled by some of the comments appearing in other reviews regarding the TV’s size and bezel width. I don’t know what other folks are measuring, but the Lagoon style framing is not particularly wide and the TV measured with a tape measure is 46″ outside to outside horizontally, the diagonal is 47″ viewing area.
As a TV plugged into an HDTV cable box, the unit came up and set up in a couple of minutes on component or HDMI connection. The image is very bright, clear and colors are very vivid. The CrystalCoat high contrast screen coating does a great job of killing reflections even in a room that has a good deal of natural daylight sreaming in through lots of windows. On HDTV, the screen is completely filled with no odd bars, lines or other distractions.
The sound system was ordered separately and will not be in for a few more days, so my current experience is with the TV’s sound system which is clear, distortion free and with a lot more output than a Sharp big screen we have in the house.
Consistent with other reviews, delivery took literally a few days by general freight, the package was in perfect condition as were the contents. The driver parked an eighteen wheeler on our narrow mountain road and handtrucked the TV 300 feet up the driveway and right into the living room without us having to ask. Polite and good service. The TV was unboxed by opening the top, laying the carton on the TV’s back and sliding it off. The TV only weighs 50 lbs. Price was $200 less than local retail and no sales tax.
We are very happy with the product and Amazon.
5 Stars Great TV for a great price!
I searched around and has narrowed it down to a Sony or Toshiba. This TV has met all my expectations. Several features that I really like. The effect of 240 Mhz motion flow. Also the TV up converts regular cable pretty well. The last feature I really liked is it compensates if you the TV goes to commercial that is a lot louder. For the price you can’t beat the picture and features.
